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For the convenience of the litigants, the court is one of a few "circuit riding" supreme courts in the country. Terms of court are held in Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Lewiston, Pocatello, Rexburg, Idaho Falls, Caldwell and Twin Falls.

Opinions of the court are published in the Idaho Reports and can be physically located at the Idaho Water Center, 2nd floor, 322 East Front Street, Ste. 560, in Boise, Idaho.[1]

Jurisdiction

The 1890 Idaho Constitution gives the Idaho Supreme Court the authority to hear appeals of the final rulings of the district courts, as well as from orders from the Public Utilities Commission, Industrial Accident Commission and the Idaho Industrial Commission. The court has original jurisdiction to hear cases against the state and to issue writs of review, mandamus, prohibition, and habeas corpus, and all writs necessary for complete exercise of its appellate jurisdiction. Parties may make a further appeal to the supreme court from the Idaho Court of Appeals, or the court may choose to review a decision of the court of appeals.[1]

Political outlook

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns. A score above 0 indicated a more conservative leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Idaho was given a Campaign finance score (CFscore) which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Idaho received a score of 0.75. Based on the justices selected, Idaho was the 5th most conservative court. The study is based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study is not a definitive label of a justice but rather, an academic gauge of various factors.[11]

Rules of practice and procedure in Idaho courts

The following is a list of the rules of practice and procedure used by Idaho courts:

Financial disclosure

In December 2013, the Center for Public Integrity released a study on disclosure requirements for state supreme court judges. Analysts from the Center reviewed the rules governing financial disclosure in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as personal financial disclosures for the past three years. The study found that 42 states and Washington D.C. received failing grades. Idaho earned a grade of F in the study. No state received a grade higher than "C". Furthermore, due in part to these lax disclosure standards, the study found 35 instances of questionable gifts, investments overlapping with caseloads and similar potential ethical quandaries. The study also noted 14 cases in which justices participated although they or their spouses held stock in the company involved in the litigation.[14]

Removal of justices

Justices of the supreme court may be removed from office if the majority of the Idaho State Legislature, and two-thirds of the Idaho State Senate vote for impeachment. The Idaho Judicial Council can also recommend the discipline, removal, or retirement of a judge, which the supreme court reviews and and makes a decision upon.[15]

Court diversity

An analysis by Forster-Long, LLC published by the National Association of Women Judges showed that as of February 2011, the Idaho Supreme Court was just one of three high courts in the 50 American states to have no women on its bench.[16][17]

History

When Idaho first became a territory of the United States on March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed the first three justices to the Territorial Supreme Court, the precursor of the Idaho Supreme Court. Idaho then became a state in 1890, and the Idaho State Constitution assigned three justices to the court which later increased to five justices (a chief justice and four justices) with the 1919 amendment to the Idaho State Constitution. The composition of the court has not changed since.[1]